Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations (credit: UN Photo)

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS   –  NEW YORK –  The United States strongly condemned the latest deadly attack against peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in West Africa Mali, MINUSMA.  Four peacekeepers from Chad were killed, and 19 others wounded, when armed elements launched a complex attack against the mission’s camp in Aguelhok, located in the Kidal region in the northeast of the country, according to the UN.  The mission in Mali is the most dangerous  in the world for UN peacekeepers with more than 200 killed since it was established in 2013.  Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations addressed the ongoing violence in Mali during  a UN briefing this week. 

“The United States extends its deepest sympathies to the victims of terrorism in Mali and their families, including the MINUSMA peacekeepers killed and injured in recent attacks. We condemn this violence in the strongest terms possible, and we commend the bravery and dedication of our peacekeepers. Each time we convene the Council to discuss the situation in Mali it seems that national or international security forces are reeling from a deadly attack. Just as in January, today we meet after a brazen and devastating attack on a MINUSMA base, in which gunmen killed four Chadian peacekeepers and injured dozens more. On that very same day, gunmen attacked a Malian military base, killing and injuring soldiers.”

-Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the UN

UN MINUSMA peacekeepers in West Africa Sahel (UN Photo)

With a deteriorating security situation in central and northern Mali, the UN peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Tuesday that ‘blue helmets’, the Malian Defence and Security Forces, continue to suffer repeated attacks and significant losses, while some large towns “live under constant threat from armed group.  The head of UN Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix  said the recent assault was a tragedy, and an “illustration of the bravery and determination of our peacekeepers to support the people of Mali”, noting that the “determined and heroic defense inflicted a serious setback on the attackers”. 

US Calls For Free and Fair Elections in MALI

 The US Ambassador said     “we need to make sure free and fair elections happen on time. We commend Mali’s National Transition Council’s adoption of the transition government’s ambitious action plan. The dissolution of the military junta in January was an important step toward a peaceful and democratic transition. Now the top priority must be organizing and holding free and fair elections by the end of the transition period.”    Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield also said the transition government must also make a renewed effort to make tangible and significant progress in implementing the Algiers Accord.

“As the largest humanitarian donor to the Sahel region, the United States remains a steadfast partner to the Malian people. We recently announced more than $80 million in humanitarian assistance to the region. But what is needed is peace and stability. We look forward to Mali moving toward a stable transition and sustainable reform. It is a future the people of Mali deserve.”

-UN Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield

Meanwhile, the terror threat in Mali continues unabated despite a massive deployment UN peacekeepers and  French troops tasked with halting jihadist’s attacks. There have been  25 French soldiers confirmed killed since the start of Operation Barkhane, which was launched more than four years ago to quell jihadist activity in the former French colony of Mali and in neighbouring countries.